The Breakers put forth an admirable effort against the Memphis Grizzlies in the first match of their US tour, falling to a 108-94 loss on Wednesday (NZT).
Led by highly-touted rookie Ja Morant and sophomore sensation Jaren Jackson Jr, the Grizzlies, pushed out to an early advantage, while the Breakers struggled to find their shooting touch.
Staring at a 55-36 haltime deficit, the Breakers came out strong in the third quarter, spearheaded by star guard Corey Webster.
The Tall Blacks gun continued his hot form from last month's World Cup, making plays at both ends of the court to help his team to a 29-22 third quarter advantage.
While they closed the gap to as little as six points at the start of the fourth quarter, the American's class ultimately shone through. Second-year guard Grayson Allen came up with some timely buckets down the stretch as the Grizzlies eased to victory.
Webster stuffed the stat sheet to finish with a monster line of 19 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, to go with four steals and three blocks.
Import Scotty Hopson also shone for the Breakers with16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, as he once again showed how important an acquisition he could be to their 2019/20 NBL campaign.
The Breakers' marquee off-season signing RJ Hampton never quite found his touch, as he finished with two points on just 1/8 shooting, with six assists.
Captin Tom Abercrombie had the highlight play for the Kiwis with a vicious facial dunk over renowned shot-blocker Jackson Jr late in the fourth quarter.
For the Grizzlies, Jackson finished with 18 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks, while Morant dished 10 assists with four points and five boards.
The Breakers now travel to Oklahoma City to take on Steven Adams and the Thunder on Friday.
Newshub.
